Ch#79
Spoils of War
Duchess
By Lemon Frog
Episode 79
"Oh my, you two look like a perfect match just standing there."
"Right? You're both still unmarried, aren't you?"
"Someone should play matchmaker! Ignoring how well you suit each other is practically a sin!"
Laughter erupted at the meddlesome matron's joke. Everyone except Laslo.
Angela, who had been glancing at Laslo, pretended to rein in the others.
"Oh, please stop. Actually, I was the one who first proposed marriage to Count Creaser. But he said he can only trust and love someone he truly knows..."
Everyone, including Laslo, was stunned to hear that Angela had proposed to him first.
"Oh my! Count Creaser! You mustn't let Miss Angela slip away!"
"Exactly! She's considered the most beautiful lady in society."
"Is it just her looks? Raised so well in House Bliss—she'll surely make a wonderful wife and mother."
The surrounding matrons showered Laslo with scolding as if they couldn't believe it.
Angela tried to stop them, saying it was her own shortcomings, but to Laslo's eyes, her act was transparently calculated.
*Dragging out something that could embarrass her just to trip me up...? Is this do-or-die for her?*
Laslo was convinced Angela was no ordinary persistent woman.
He tried to excuse himself before the uncomfortable topic dragged on.
"It's my own inadequacy. And since I've only just begun to properly manage the family, I have no time to think about marriage or romance."
"That's exactly when you need a wife to help run the household, Count."
"You won't understand until you're married yourself. But trust us, your elders."
His expression hardened as the relentless nagging pursued him.
*Edel told me to smile as much as possible...*
He tried to manage his expression recalling what Edel had taught him, but the situation was so irritating that the corners of his mouth refused to budge.
Yet Angela and the matrons trying to pair them refused to give up.
"Don't be like that—why not have the two of you dance first?"
"Yes! Nothing's better for getting to know someone than a dance."
"Oh! The waltz is about to start soon? Count team! In these cases, it's customary for the man to ask the lady first."
If the speaker had been a man, he might have grabbed him by the throat right then.
A dance with Angela? Laslo wanted no part of it. A woman who clung this much after a rejection—what might she do if they danced together?
But just then, as if providence intervened, Edel appeared right nearby.
"Ah! Sorry, I need to check on the party progress with the butler. It's our first party, so there's much to do. Excuse me."
As he approached Edel, all eyes turned to her. Those who recognized her widened their eyes in shock, but Laslo paid no mind, and Edel kept her shoulders squared without flinching.
"I heard you were looking for me urgently."
"There's a lot to check. Not convenient here—let's move somewhere else."
He nodded toward her to follow, then led the way. Edel lightly greeted the staring onlookers and followed behind Laslo.
He took her to an empty lounge and immediately locked the door.
"Count...?"
"Phew, just a moment. My head's throbbing..."
"Are you alright? Please wait here. I'll fetch some medicine right aw—!"
"No, don't open the door! Didn't you see those demons earlier?"
Laslo blocked the lounge door, then rubbed his temples and collapsed onto the sofa only after Edel stepped back.
"Now I get why you called high society a battlefield. No swords, but everyone's combative as hell."
- 3 -
Edel smiled faintly at his words.
"Of course. It's a battlefield. Tongues are the swords, and reputation is life."
"I always tell the Imperial Guard and mercenary guild rookies: even a novice can kill a general on the battlefield. And I, the one saying that, nearly got done in by a fresh-faced girl."
"One correction needed. The rookie back there wasn't Miss Angela. She's closer to a seasoned general."
"......Ouch, go easy."
Laslo whined gruffly at Edel's pointed jab. Watching him clutch his chest as if truly pained, Edel chuckled again.
*He's unexpectedly cute. I never knew he was like this before.*
Suddenly, she wondered how many people knew this side of Laslo.
Probably not many. The vicious rumors circulating about him made that clear.
*Does that mean I'm pretty close to him?*
When she'd been granted to him as spoils of war from the palace, he'd been nothing but terrifying. When had she come to know even these unexpected facets?
Snapping out of her idle thoughts, Edel refocused. Today left no room for sentiment.
"I used the excuse of checking the party with you to escape, but you need to head back out now."
"Why?"
"The first waltz of the evening is about to start. With Miss Linia, right?"
"That one told me earlier she got asked to dance and to handle it myself."
Edel's face drained of color at his words.
"Th-then... have you found a partner, Count?"
For a moment, Laslo was silent. Edel was on the verge of panic.
The party host had to dance first, or no one else would!
.
Checking the clock, the waltz was set to begin in about ten minutes.
Edel grabbed Laslo's wrist.
"Go ask Miss Angela or someone! You have to start the first waltz tonight!"
Unlike her frantic state, Laslo shrugged with a mischievous glint.
"I have a partner."
"Really? Oh, thank goodness! I'm so relieved."
"......Why so scared? It's not that big a deal."
"......Who was it that nearly got done in by a seasoned general earlier?"
"Rubbing salt in the wound?"
Laslo furrowed his brow, then laughed.
Just then, sounds of musicians tuning their instruments came from outside. The waltz was imminent.
Laslo sprang up, yanking Edel's wrist.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Edel planned to slip away immediately once out of the lounge.
"First confirm the waltz starts, then back to the prep room to double-check the champagne..."
She mentally ran through her tasks, but oddly, Laslo didn't release her wrist.
Thinking he'd forgotten in his tension, she tugged lightly and called to him.
"Count. Let go of my hand and find your partner. Time's short—get ready to dance."
"Yeah, that's what I'm doing."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
As Edel looked puzzled, Laslo stopped and pointed at her with a fingertip.
"Right here, my partner."
"......Pardon?"
"You think a rookie like me in society moved fast enough to snag another partner?"
Laslo teased, enjoying Edel's rare frozen, slack-jawed expression.
"So, take good care of me."
"Count!"
"Angela Bliss? No way. She's a vulture. You have to protect me."
Laslo gripped her wrist firmly again and headed out alone—or tried to. Edel desperately wanted to smack his back hard.
But finding another partner now was impossible.
Edel quickly scanned around, yanked his wrist to pull him back.
"This is the last time you act so selfishly, Count."
"Feels like you're about to hit me?"
"Tempting. Anyway, emergency—talk later. I'll change quickly and come back."
"Change clothes...? Isn't that dress enough?"
Edel mentally smacked Laslo. Hard.
"We'll have a lesson on attire later. For now, ask the orchestra conductor to delay the start by ten minutes. Just ten from the scheduled time!"
She then dashed up to the second floor. Someone might frown at her appearance, but she didn't care.
*Laslo Creaser!*
His casual curses echoed in her mind, but she barely held them back.
Back in her room, Edel hastily shed her uniform and slipped into the dress she'd kept handy 'just in case.'
*Why did I even prepare and maintain this? Self-mocking, she thought...! Guess I have precognition now.*
- 6 -
.
Perhaps it had been an omen when Linia, picking her party dress, suddenly gifted Edel one.
Changing at breakneck speed, defying human limits, Edel glanced at the clock and stood before the mirror.
The moment she turned to check her appearance, even knowing time was short, Edel froze momentarily.
.
